


all in the moment that changes it all

by NicoNightingale



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anna and Elsa are Not Related (Disney), Elsanna Week 2021 (Disney), F/F, Head Injury, Injury Recovery, Traumatic Optic Neuropathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28845303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicoNightingale/pseuds/NicoNightingale
Summary: Anna's voice is the only thing that can keep Elsa from falling apart when she loses her parents and part of her sight in an accident.
Relationships: Anna/Elsa (Disney)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30
Collections: Elsanna Week 2021





	1. when the cat has got your tongue

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this fic comes from the song "The Whole World is Watching", by Within Temptation (ft. Dave Pirner). 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** Frozen and all its characters belong to Disney. The songs displayed in this fic belong to their respective artists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter and the verses in it come from the song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", by Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and The Pearlie Chorus.

Anna was eating cream cake when she received the phone call that afternoon. While they say terrible news leaves people with a bitter flavour in their mouth, all she could taste was the delicious combination of strawberries and whipping cream that contrasted with the sour words spoken by Mrs Frisk, Elsa Nordberg's grandmother.

Yet, since any news was best than none whatsoever, Anna could only be thankful that the woman had pulled herself from her grief to answer her phone call and explain what had happened. Elsa was a bright and shy blonde girl who had become Anna's best friend in the world, she dreamed of studying to become a scientist or architect and, being the best student in their year, it was clear that she _could_ do whatever she wanted to. 

Now, however, the future didn't look so bright to Elsa. In a matter of seconds, in a tragic turn out of events, she had lost both her parents and the ability to see.

Mrs Frisk had explained that there was no point on going to the hospital right away since Elsa was still in intensive care and couldn't receive any visitors yet. So, after reassuring Anna that she would call once her granddaughter was in a private room, the woman hung up.

To have something to do with herself as she thought about the news she had just received, Anna took a bite on her cake and tried to focus the flavour rather than the tragic events that had taken place on her best friend's life. All she could think of, however, was on how unfair that was to Elsa, who was kind and caring.

A few minutes later, still feeling the vestiges of the combination strawberries and whipping cream flavour in her mouth, Anna collapsed on her bed. If the cake couldn't keep her from worrying about Elsa, nothing else would be able to keep her mind from wandering back to the subject.

Anna was on edge on the following days. As the girl had spent the first morning after receiving the news crying in the toilet next to her calculus classroom, the school's counsellor sent her back home for rest of the week off, arguing that she needed time to process the events and grieve Elsa's parents, who she had known for the most part of her life. 

Well, then. It was all good in theory but it didn't take long before, having nothing to do with herself, Anna started going crazy. On the hours and hours that she spent at home that week, her attempts to distract herself were as unsuccessful as the first one. 

_Well, then!_

Luckily, Anna only suffered until the next Saturday, almost exactly four days after she had first received the phone call. It was about 10 in the morning when her phone started playing the ringtone set for all the contacts related to her best friend: an instrumental version of "Jack's Lament", Elsa's favourite song from one of their favourite movies of all time. 

Anna was just a _bit_ disappointed when she read Mrs Frisk's name on the screen but her mood picked up when the woman told her Elsa was awake and asking for her. She was able to keep herself from laughing in relief and excitement — barely — but Elsa's grandmother must have sensed her excitement as she immediately started explaining that her granddaughter was in a terrible shape both physically and emotionally. Anna, however, was too busy figuring out what to wear to pay much attention to it. 

The girl couldn't guilt Mrs Frisk, then, for the overwhelming emotions that took place in her chest when she laid her eyes on Elsa for the first time since the accident. She had turned to the door when Anna entered but it was clear she was having trouble to see the figures by the door. _Partial vision loss_ ; Anna could vaguely recall Mrs Frisk explaining it to her, giving it a name the girl couldn't remember. Something with an "h", she thought. 

That wasn't, by far, the only thing that had shocked Anna, though. Her beautiful porcelain was covered by dark bruises, bandages and even casts — around her left arm and leg —; Elsa was clearly not going anywhere any time soon. The worst part, however, was the nearly expressionless face that Anna was one of the few that knew it to be an indication of pain or sorrow.

Anna got over herself after Mrs Frisk elbowed her: this wasn't about her at all. Elsa needed her — the same way Anna had needed Elsa when she had broken up with Kristoff Bjorgman or when she didn't get the main part for the school's play a few years previous. But this time is much, much more serious.

Taking deep breaths, she walked towards their future. Anna was, as far as she was concerned, well-prepared to whatever they would need to face: a chocolate bar on her hand and with a song on her lips. _The_ song that had never failed to make both Elsa and Anna smile:

 _So when the cat has got your tongue  
_ _There's no need for dismay (oui, oui)  
_ _Just summon up this word  
_ _And then you've got a lot to say  
_ _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious  
_ Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious  
_Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious  
_Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

And, although there were tears in Elsa's eyes, she was smiling when she hummed in response.


	2. let that lonely feeling wash away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimer:** This chapter's title is a line from the song "You Will be Found", by BYU Vocal Point.

Everything was blurry when Elsa woke up for the first time after the accident, so she tried to take her hand to her face to rub the remains of sleep from her eyes. The movement, however, made her wince in pain.  _ What's going on? _ More desperate to find someone to answer her questions, she blinked once, twice, three times— but her sight remained blurry. 

Three days later, the world was still blurry but Elsa had a better idea of where she was, literally and metaphorically. Not entirely, though; and she didn't understand it well enough for her to express it in words.

So, when her best friend approached her bed, Elsa was trying to come up with the response to the question she  _ couldn't  _ see in Anna's face but knew to be there. Well, she figured it would be there since it was all people asked her these days; the doctors, the relatives who came to see her. Well, everyone except her grandparents, who seemed to understand her lack of words. They were also, after all, grieving.

"Can you sing something else?" The girl asked in an attempt to delay her friend's questioning until she figured out what to say.

To her credit, Anna didn't argue against her request and immediately started to sing the song "What's This?" from Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Listening to Anna sing song after song that day almost made up to the fact that she was unable to see her friend. For reasons Elsa could only guess, it felt different from the other times. It could be because her voice was everything she could have from Anna that moment since, along with her lack of sight, being touched hurt  _ a lot  _ these days. Or perhaps because Anna was only singing their comfort songs.

It was heartwarming, though. Nice, even. Elsa didn't want the moment to end, so she just kept asking for more and more songs until Anna's throat got sore. 

Then, because she felt her friend deserved some retribution for her effort and patience, Elsa told her about the doctors’ prognosis on her physical injuries and their recovery plans. 

They didn't talk about Elsa's feelings. Or about her parents. Or her vision. She knew her friend was curious — who  _ wouldn't  _ be? — but couldn't gather the strength to talk about such topics. Thankfully, Anna didn't ask.

Even on the next day, Anna still kept herself from asking the questions that were haunting both of them. Instead, she shared with Elsa a playlist she had created just for her throughout the past week. 

As her friend read the titles for her, Elsa felt adoration and — because of the nature of such songs — grief. Although a musician, Anna didn't speak often through music since she didn't have the patience to wait until the other person read between the lines. That playlist, though— it was a subtle way to tell Elsa about her feelings and concerns as well as ask the questions about her emotional health.

Not that Elsa had any clue on how to answer the questions without turning into a sobbing mess. Not that anyone expected her to be well at that point — her doctors had explained it was normal to grieve and her grandparents had told her it was okay not to be okay right now. The words broke Elsa into tears regardless of how cheesy they were.

If she could pretend to be okay to Anna, perhaps she would be able to convince  _ herself  _ she was okay and, eventually, be okay.  _ Okay? _

And didn't  _ that  _ sound passive-aggressive? But Elsa couldn't help it.

**~~//~~**

Since Elsa didn't want to touch the subject of her emotions, Anna's singing became their mean of communicating them. Anna would sing a song either of them suggested and Elsa responded by humming along, smiling and/or crying. The system worked well for both of them. 

The experience of listening to Anna's songs was both old and new. Elsa had gone to all of her concerts and even some band practices but, while she had enjoyed them, it felt that she hadn't appreciated her friend's voice before the accident. Much like its owner, it was soft and honest. 

_ Beautiful.  _

Much like Anna's singing voice, the traitor thought wasn't new. Elsa had known she was developing feelings for her best friend for months before the accident. How  _ couldn't  _ she when the other girl was such a kind, honest, and  _ beautiful  _ person?

Much like Anna's singing voice, though, the traitor thought had taken a different meaning after the accident. Because for the first time since the realisation she had feelings for the girl, Elsa was more than happy with what they had at that point and would be fine if they never became more than friends. 

But she couldn't help but appreciate the few times when Anna had dared touch her. Even though it hurt at first, despite how worried her friend became after even the subtler skin contact. Elsa didn't care. She grabbed back her friend's hand, lied her head on her shoulder and leaned against Anna's soft lips when the girl kissed her cheek or the top of her head before going home at night.

**~~//~~**

There were times when Elsa didn't know what to do with herself and she kept ruminating difficult, messy thoughts. Her second week in the hospital, for instance, was the worst. She was visited by several different health care professionals lined up to help her cope and adapt. That meant she had to speak about what happened.

First, on Tuesday, an ophthalmologist explained her several experiments and treatments they could try so she could use the most of the vision she still had. Despite seeing nearly nothing but blurred forms most of the time, there were moments when she could focus on objects and see them almost perfectly. On that first conversation, she could hear the doctor's smile when he explained what was called "fluctuating vision", a condition in which the impairment was  _ fluctuated  _ according to factors that varied from person to person. They should test these conditions so she could take the best of the little sight she had left.

This was happy news but it was followed by a progression of other doctors and even an occupational therapist that interrogated, tested, and poked her in more and more creative ways, leaving Elsa in tears later. In addition to that, several family members visited to offer their condolences and express their desire to help with whatever she needed, asking more questions than Elsa was knew how to answer.

Only Anna and Elsa's grandparents kept a respectful distance, waiting for her to feel comfortable about approaching them. Because of them, there were moments when Elsa couldn't feel more loved despite the loss of her parents, despite the helplessness and loneliness that took her every once in a while. She dwelled on the memories with them whenever she felt overwhelmed by grief.

The times when her grandmother helped her keep up with homework since it helped her feel productive. Or how grandfather sat with her for hours discussing a variety of light topics. Or Anna being Anna — with her songs, the little touches and good night kisses, the stupid jokes or gossip spoken in whispers to keep her grandparents' sensitivities protected. They had given her something  _ good  _ to look forward to every day.

It was nice even when it wasn't. Because those moments were light and clear even when her life was blurry and messy.

**~~//~~**

On the third week, a visit from the occupational therapist planted the seed of an idea in Elsa's mind.

Elsa had been worried about doing therapy since she was still unprepared to talk about her feelings. It turned out that, while occupational therapy was related to her emotional well-being, it was more focused on working around the practical limitations of her condition.

The therapist was a newly graduated man named Olaf, who had the personality and perception of a child. His positiveness matched his intelligence and deep knowledge of the struggles Elsa would go through during her recovery. Having learned in advance about Elsa's scientific curiosity and logical mind, he read to her a series of reports from doctors, therapists, and patients about her condition, all of them optimistic in a rational way. 

When he was convinced that Elsa was hopeful — albeit hesitant about it —, Olaf proceeded asking about her hobbies and what she had done to entertain herself during her stay in the hospital. "I know it's boring around here sometimes," he confessed in a whisper, a playfulness his voice that that told her he was  _ pretending  _ he wasn't supposed to say this to their amusement. 

The childish behaviour worked well in making Elsa's body relax after the overflow of information he had first delivered her. "Definitely boring," she matched his tone and leaned toward him in a conspiratorial manner, causing him to giggle. Then, in a more serious tone, the girl explained her activities in the past few weeks. 

"Well, about your reading and writing activities— there are many options available and we are going to figure out what will work the best for you in time. But— I understand you enjoy learning new things—?" Elsa nodded in response, eager to know what he would suggest. "Well, while we figure out, why don't you learn a new skill? Just to pass some time, occupy your mind while you're stuck here. You said you enjoyed listening to Anna when she's singing; perhaps, she could teach you some tricks so you can sing together. What do you think?"

In truth, Elsa loved to sing when she was alone. She hadn't had the time to learn how to do it properly before, which didn't mean she had never considered a musical education. Her priorities, however, were finishing her education and getting a dream job. 

Now, however, she was stuck in a hospital bed without being able to study without her grandmother's help. There was time. Time she could use to learn something Anna loved. Learn something from Anna.

Elsa had a lot to think about but Olaf understood her silence and departed soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. I'd like to thank you all for the kudos, bookmarks and comments.
> 
> I don't know if it shows in this chapter, so I'm gonna just say it. This is a bit of a stretch from Elsa's canon personality but I think it somewhat matches her Frozen II persona. She's more assertive toward her happiness, I think, mostly because I wanted to write about finding light in the darkness.
> 
> Also, it wasn't in my plans but I added Olaf because... well, why not? XD
> 
> Stay safe during these crazy days. Thanks again for the response!


	3. it's two hearts living in two separate worlds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter, as well as some verses in it, come from the song "Sacrifice", by Sir Elton John. The other verses in this chapter come from the songs "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" (Monty Python) and "Pretty Eyes" (The Cranberries).

Anna almost choked on a chocolate biscuit when Elsa first asked her for singing lessons. 

Thinking back, such request shouldn't have been surprising the past weeks. Music had become their way of talking about difficult topics since Elsa wasn't ready to speak about them otherwise. So, Anna had spent a big part of her classes — the only time she wasn't with Elsa — mulling over the songs that would express her questions more obviously. And she was sure her friend spent at least as much time trying to figure out which songs would answer those.

On her part, Anna couldn't help but think of the exercise as _fun_ even if the outcome wasn't always pleasant. She also knew it was good for her friend ever since Mrs Frisk had confided to her that Elsa had started having full conversations — albeit not about her feelings or her parents — after they started doing it. 

After a few days, Elsa started humming along whenever she wasn't too emotional to keep her voice steady. Anna figured had been wished to accompany her but wouldn't do it unless she could sing properly.

So, the request shouldn't have come as a surprise.

Still, it made her spill half her chocolate biscuit on Elsa when she choked in surprise.

**~~//~~**

Despite her excitement about their new project, however, Anna wondered why Elsa had asked _her_ instead of hiring a teacher since, having never taught anyone before, she was heavily unprepared. "I just prefer if it's you," it was her friend's simple response and, although curious, Anna didn't inquire further.

Elsa suggested them to come up with a lesson plan together. Although they didn't have much time to research music didactics between Anna's classes and Elsa's doctor appointments, the information was easily found on the Internet. In a matter of a few days, they decided to make the classes twice a week so Elsa had time to practice and managed to organize their first eight classes.

On the day when they were supposed to start, however, Anna arrived to find Elsa completely buried under her sheets and refusing to come out. She approached step after step, trying to come up with a song to help her friend out of the cocoon. 

_Some things in life are bad  
_ _They can really make you mad  
_ _Other things just make you swear and curse  
_ _When you're chewing on life's gristle  
_ _Don't grumble, give a whistle  
_ _And this will help things turn out for the best and  
_ _Always look on the bright side of life  
_ _Always look on the light side of life_

It was a silly song about happiness but Anna had realised in the previous weeks that silliness brought made Elsa lighter, a bit happier. And this was a song they had sung together a few times before — one that had made the blonde smile and cry equally.

"Go away, Anna," Elsa said between sobs before Anna could finish the song. 

Unsure if she should obey, Anna turned to look at Mrs Frisk. The elder lady offered her a nod toward her granddaughter's bed as an encouragement for her to keep trying, she had a renewed sadness in her eyes that indicated that something different had happened that day.

"Uh—" the girl cleared her throat and pulled a chair to sit beside Elsa's bed. If silliness hadn't worked, perhaps something more real, something closer to what Elsa might be feeling.

 _Pretty eyes, pretty eyes  
_ _Not a cloud in my day  
_ _Not a cloud in my way  
_ _Angel eyes, no disguise  
_ _No pretension is here  
_ _No pretension, no fear  
_ _Don't leave me calling  
_ _Don't leave me falling  
_ _Don't leave me calling  
_ _Don't leave me falling_

Anna had to stop singing, though, since Elsa started sobbing. "Elsa, come out. Please?" She begged but the girl didn't seem to have listened. Well— she was crying quite loudly. 

" _This is pointless!_ " She mouthed to Mrs Frisk, who sighed and smiled sadly in response before pointing once again toward Elsa. _Fine!_

Shrugging at the woman's attitude, Anna touched her friend's shoulder over the sheets. Well, if neither silliness nor serious talking worked, perhaps something else— happy memories, perhaps.

"Hey, you remember when your dad took us to our first concert?" The memory triggered by her previous singing wasn't _perfect_ since it involved Elsa's parents, or perhaps it _was_ perfect because of that. Anna was completely out of her depth there, so she just went with it hoping for the best. "We could hardly believe it when he showed the tickets to see _Elton John_ of all people. I mean, it wasn't the kind of music we would listen otherwise but the guy's a freaking legend; who wouldn't want to listen to him live, right? So, we went and he only sang his best songs! Even the one he composed for Lion King and the one for Princess Diana of England. But your favourite was that one— Sacrifice— because—"

While Anna was rambling, Elsa had stopped sobbing and poked her head out to watch her speak. Or perhaps she was just listening— ever since Mrs Frisk told Anna about Elsa's fluctuating eyesight, she was left to wonder how much Elsa could see on the days she was there. 

"C— can you s— sing it to me?" Fighting her own tears, Elsa interrupted Anna's rambling.

"Oh— of course! _Sure!_ Er—" Anna replied somewhat lost after the interruption but recovered quickly.

 _It's a human sign  
_ _When things go wrong  
_ _When the scent of her lingers  
_ _And temptation's strong  
_ _Into the boundary  
_ _Of each married man  
_ _Sweet deceit comes calling  
_ _And negativity lands  
_ _Cold cold heart  
_ _Hard done by you  
_ _Some things look better, baby  
_ _Just passing through  
_ _And it's no sacrifice  
_ _Just a simple word  
_ _It's two hearts living_  
 _In two separate worlds_  
 _But it's no sacrifice_  
 _No sacrifice_  
 _It's no sacrifice at all_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who read, commented, subscribed, left kudos, and bookmarked this fic! Stay safe, y'all.


	4. moving along to the pulse of a heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** The chapter's title is a line taken from the song "Battle Scars", by Paradise Fears. The verses in this chapter are from the song "Bubbly", by Colbie Caillat.

Elsa never discussed with Anna the reason behind her outburst on the day they were supposed to start the singing lessons. Since her best friend didn't ask, however, the blonde girl figured that her grandparents would have told her at some point that the reading of her parents' will on the morning before had brought back to the surface all the grieving she had been trying to keep locked inside.

The reality of her parents' demise weighed heavily on her chest on the days that followed. While she wished to believe in _something_ — God or _whatever_ — to give her hope she would once again meet them, the girl found herself unable to understand why a higher power would have chosen to spare her. It didn't make sense.

Logically, Elsa knew that trying to make sense of it was pointless. This was one of the times when life wasn’t _supposed_ to be logical or fair. It was what it was. She would spend her days lying on her bed, most of the time refusing to speak with her grandparents, her doctors or even Anna.

It was Olaf who got Elsa out of her funk. Refusing to be discouraged by her silence and apparent apathy, he read her a list of songs she should try learning with Anna to sing for him. She didn't know if it was because he was an outsider or for his cheerful personality but, by the end of their time together, his antics amused the blonde.

From then on, Elsa finally managed to gather strength to speak to Anna about the singing lessons again. Luckily, her best friend was as excited — albeit reluctant — as she was; Elsa could nearly sense the relief in Anna's stance and voice when she brought up the idea. 

Since no supplies were necessary and both of them were eager to start, Anna helped her into the posture and guided her through the first few notes — C to G. Her vision impairment created, as expected, a series of obstacles since Anna couldn't show her some positions of the tongue and facial expressions. 

Instead, she had to direct her by voice or touch, which was in itself a handicap to Elsa, who had been trying to keep her feelings to herself. While she felt guilty about thinking such thing, Anna's proximity was a _welcomed_ challenge since it gave her the opportunity to be close to her friend without raising suspicions. She had to be careful, though.

At night, drained both physically and emotionally after the struggle of Anna’s closeness _and_ the singing exercises they had started practising, Elsa slept well for the first time in several days. 

**~~//~~**

The second lesson was borderline disastrous. It turned out that Elsa had been practising the exercise from the previous lesson in a wrong way and they had to take a step back and review her mistakes. 

Since Elsa was usually patient when she was trying to learn something new, her frustration came as a surprise to both of the girls. In the end, the blonde's growing anger got in the way of her improvement and forced the duo to cut the lesson short. Anna told her to practice some more and promised she would research new methods in case she couldn't get the exercise right this time.

Incapable of understanding _why_ she had been so frustrated before, Elsa couldn't sleep that night. She was usually at ease even when she was studying a subject she couldn't understand for a test at school — even when she had a close deadline. The music lessons were just something to keep her mind occupied while she was stuck on the hospital bed and Anna was farfrom a professional teacher, doing it perfectly right away shouldn't matter so much.

Olaf, however, explained it to her. It _might_ have been that she felt deep down that the stakes were even higher because it was her first attempt to do something overall ordinary after her accident. It was true that there was no deadline involved, but her failures came closer to her heart. 

When she told Olaf that this was just _dumb_ , the therapist explained that emotions were often dumb like that but it was okay to feel like that as long as she _knew_ them for what they were.

**~~//~~**

Although they had agreed to continue their lessons on the next week, Anna showed some reluctance about them on the week that followed. At least once a day, the girl asked her if she was sure she wanted to keep going. She had also tried to do some pep talk to ensure Elsa that it was _okay_ to fail at first.

It should have been easy to convince Anna that she _knew_ that but, even though Olaf had assured her it that having such _stupid_ emotions was normal, discussing them with Anna would come too close to discussing her feelings toward her injury. Somehow — and Elsa was starting to think of that hesitancy was as dumb as her impatience to learn how to sing —, they were still something uncomfortable sharing with people. 

Seeing that she wasn't willing to discuss the subject, then, it was difficult to convince Anna that the singing lessons weren't doing any harm. All she could manage to do is try improving her behaviour during her next fails.

So, before they started the next lesson, Anna announced that, if Elsa was able to perform the exercises correctly that day, they would start practising with an actual song. It wasn't part of their initial plans, so Elsa figured it was an attempt to encourage her. Well, she wouldn't be the one to complain, would she?

And perhaps Anna's methods of encouragement were good enough since Elsa ended up managing to perform even the chords she had had trouble on her own.

"Okay, we will practice _part of_ Colbie Caillat's Bubbly. I know it's not exactly the kind of thing we had in mind at first, but keep in mind that our options are a little limited right now." 

For the first time since the accident, Elsa felt the smile in Anna's voice somehow reflected her own. "It's okay. It will be fun anyway," the blonde could actually hear the happiness in her voice. _The lessons were a good idea, after all_ , Elsa considered at the realisation that she was indeed excited. "I don't think I know this song, though."

"Oh... well, I don't think it's as famous as it used to be but you might recognize it once you listen to it," Anna was a bit disappointed at that, so Elsa nodded with enthusiasm in response. Anna's voice sounded more excited after that, "okay. I will sing a few verses to you and we will try breaking it into the chords, okay?"

 _I've been awake for a while now  
_ _You've got me feeling like a child now  
_ _'Cause every time I see your bubbly face  
_ _I get the tingles in a silly place  
_ _It starts in my toes  
_ _Makes me crinkle my nose  
_ _Wherever it goes  
_ _I always know  
_ _You make me smile  
_ _Please stay for a while now_  
_Just take your time_  
Wherever you go

**~~//~~**

Elsa spent the next few days trying to mimic Colbie Caillat's vocals. 

The girl was unsurprised when she was forced to go back to the basic exercises from the previous lessons several times since they served to show the right position of the tongue and expression on her face. Having been warned by Olaf, she was also expecting to break a few times after her failures — he had told her that as long as she understood that it was irrational, it was fine to cry over it. 

Indeed, throughout the next weeks, Elsa realised she was not a born singer and was required much effort before doing the exercises or singing the songs correctly. Her frustration, however, became more sedated over time as she got used to her failures and rationality finally won over her emotions.

As the weeks passed by, Elsa grew more and more focused on her singing lessons and — albeit her feelings and her parents' death were still a taboo — open to discussing her current situation and possible treatments with the doctors.

Although Elsa didn't notice, Anna and her grandparents realised Elsa was slowly starting to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took a bit longer than the usual. It was a difficult chapter to write and I'm not quite happy with it, but well...
> 
> Stay safe.


	5. dream, see, write, live your story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** The chapter's title is a line taken from the song "Live Your Story", by Auli'i Cravalho. The verses in this chapter are from the song "Apeman", by The Kinks.

At first, teaching Elsa how to sing had seemed to be a fun idea that would provide her best friend with something to do when Anna wasn't around. She knew the other girl was doing homework even on her time off, but the fact that she was still unable read the material or write the exercises kept her limitations in her mind even when she was trying to focus on her favourite subjects.

Music, though, had been their safe haven. They had put a lot of effort into prepared the classes, which was in itself a nice enough distraction, serving to prove that they were going through the right direction. 

**~~//~~**

A few weeks later, worried that it would do more harm than good after Elsa's outburst in their second class, she wasn't so sure anymore.

Mrs Frisk had assured her that her granddaughter was — understandably — emotional about everything these days but, in the end, this was a good opportunity for her to keep her mind from the painful things in her life at that point. Besides, Elsa had always enjoyed music and, away from school, that was a good opportunity for her to learn.

Trusting Mrs Frisk's judgement about her granddaughter, Anna kept teaching but changed the method slightly to encourage Elsa without seeming patronizing. She listened to her best friend's requests and tried indulging her with a more practical approach and songs of her liking. 

On the two weeks that followed, Anna came to realise that Elsa's singing voice was actually beautiful. Her technic was still flawed and she could still sing only some of the notes but Anna could notice vestiges of her talent.

Well, talent and hard-work, actually. Mrs Frisk had told her that the girl repeated the exercises for at least two hours a day during the mornings, which was impressive even for Anna's standards. Over-archiver as she was, Elsa practised with vigour and progressed at a fast pace. 

Anna was also worried, however, that Elsa would need an actual teacher sometime in the near future since. It wouldn't create an obstacle per se since Mrs Frisk would be happy to pay for classes, but it could potentially limit the time they spent together. _You're being selfish,_ _Anna,_ the girl reprimanded herself constantly.

Well, the girl supposed there was no point in worrying about it at that point. As things were progressing with her recovery, Elsa would probably be released from the hospital — perhaps even back to school — before Anna ran out of things to teach her.

**~~//~~**

It was two months after the accident when Elsa was finally released from her both of her casts and, for the first time since her accident, agreed on taking a walk on the hospital's back garden. 

Both Anna and the girl's grandparents' had been insisting on it for weeks, but Elsa had been refusing on the grounds that it would be pointless considering that she wouldn't be able to see anything. The promise that she would be able to experience it with her other senses if sight failed her hadn't been enough to convince her.

To her friend's relief, Elsa confessed on the day when she was released from her casts that she _had_ been feeling a little claustrophobic after a couple of months inside the hospital. Mr and Mrs Frisk agreed right away when Elsa asked Anna to be the one to accompany her, glad that their granddaughter was willing to go outside for a change. It was incredible, Anna thought, how supportive the elderly couple had been despite their own grief and struggles. While her best friend didn't speak much about it, Anna knew she was glad she had them.

Mr and Mrs Frisk watched them from afar as they crossed the hospital's front doors. Holding Anna's arm tightly as she wasn't able to distinguish perfectly their path, Elsa felt suddenly disoriented at the daylight and was forced to take a few deep breaths to centre herself. 

"How are you feeling?" Anna asked, unable to keep a level of worry from her voice.

"I don't know," Elsa answered after a few moments in silence, shaking her head before pulling Anna ahead.

Anna could understand. A lot had changed ever since the last time her friend had been outside and feeling disoriented was only natural. All things considered, Anna thought her best friend was doing really well — she didn't know if she would have been able to be half as functional if she was under the same conditions. The fact that Elsa was actively guiding her outside despite her first hesitancy was, per se, astonishing. 

_Elsa's amazing like that,_ Anna thought proudly to herself as they were crossing the garden toward a line of trees. Elsa had asked her to sit on the ground, preferably beneath a tree, so she could try identifying sounds, smells, and — _hopefully_ — images.

The girls sat side by side on the grass. At the fear of sounding overzealous, Anna refrained herself from asking again how Elsa was feeling and, instead, watched her with the corner of her eyes. On her part, Elsa leaned against the tree, the sun reflecting on her pale skin and accentuating the shiny tears on the corner of her eyes. She was smiling, though; so Anna wasn't too worried. 

_Beautiful,_ Anna caught herself thinking to her own astonishment. The girl had noticed before that Elsa — with light freckles, ice-blue eyes, and delicate hands — was a beautiful woman, but not since the accident and never with such intensity. Amidst all the struggles and pain, she had forgotten. 

_I'm a king-kong man  
_ _I'm a voodoo man  
_ _Oh, I'm an apeman  
_ _I look out the window  
_ _But I can't see the sky  
_ _The air pollution is a-fogging up my eyes  
_ _I want to get out of this city alive  
_ _And make like an apeman_  
La la la la la la la

Anna was so surprised by her line of thoughts that she didn't realise right away that Elsa was singing in a low tone beside her. The Kinks— the band was definitely a favourite of both of their dads and, growing up, they had always thought of that particular song as funny. Until they realised on seventh grade or something that the lyrics were supposed to be a criticism of the humans' behaviour against nature.

Still, she realised that the song was strangely fitting to Elsa's situation. Unable to see the sky even when directly looking at it, holding a desire to get away from that all. Well— it wasn't a perfect fit, but neither of them knew many songs that were.

Elsa's voice, albeit low, was firm and confident. still struggling with A's, she wasn't getting all the notes right but that wasn't holding her back that day, which made her voice sound very... attractive.

Anna shook her head in confusion, trying to drive the strange thoughts away. She had known since _forever_ that Elsa was pretty and talented, nothing new there. Go on!

"That was incredible!" Anna realised that her voice was a bit shaky and hoped Elsa hadn't noticed. 

"Not really—" The girl had a tiny smile on her lips when she raised her arm and cleaned her teary eyes. "But I admit it's better."

"Well, the improvement is amazing. You got this song all by yourself and it was almost perfect— just a few notes— and the rhythm was just a little slower than the original." Elsa nodded in response, thoughtful. Anna knew she was saving that information for her further practices. "So— huh— how does it feel? Being outside, I mean—"

Elsa remained in silence for a long time after she heard the question but Anna could see she was trying to come up with an answer and didn't break it. "It's— different. I can see better than when I'm indoors, but it's all sort of blurry."

It wasn't exactly what Anna had asked — she actually wanted to know how Elsa was _feeling_ — but her best friend rarely spoke her vision impairment so decided to take the other girl's openness as a good sign and not an avoidance to talk about other matters. 

"Oh— that's good, though, right? You can tell your doctor, perhaps it means you can see better in more illuminated spaces. Or perhaps it's the kind of light. He will add that to your treatment, for sure. Lights, I mean—" 

Luckily, Elsa interrupted her ramblings with a soft giggle. Oh, how she had missed that sound! "Well, the sun feels nice, at least, and I had forgotten that the grass smelled so sweet."

Anna flushed slightly in embarrassment over her awkwardness but was glad that Elsa had expanded her response — even if it still didn't answer her question. 

Instead of pressuring her to speak more, though, the girl waited for her best friend to add more. When a minute passed and Elsa remained silent, the girl smirked: "Wanna sing something else, then?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry this is 24h late. I had lots of trouble writing it, condensing Anna's feelings to one single chapter was difficult since this is supposed to be a short fic. Still not sure if I did it alright. 
> 
> Anyways, stay safe! See you very soon.


End file.
